Voices.sg

It would take something special to jolt me out of my 3-month long break from writing. And there are few things in this world more special than Michael Jackson. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last 30 hours, you would have heard the tragic news: that the King of Pop has passed away from a cardiac arrest at the age of 50.

And unless your heart is as hard as that rock you’ve been hiding under, you might have shed a tear or two in private, as I did.

On the surface, Michael’s story is a simple one. Child prodigy born into a family of entertainers, the Jackson 5, and becomes the greatest artiste of the generation. He then self-destructs with his extravagantly lavish lifestyle, countless cosmetic surgeries and skin bleaching, and persistent allegations of sexual misconduct with young boys who stayed over at his place. In the end, he was called “a freak” and made the target of ridicule in more than a few movies.

But that is just on the surface. I’ll write more tomorrow about this when I’m less tired and my eyes are drier. For now, enjoy this Michael Jackson MTV “They Don’t Care About Us”. You can call him names; you can make fun of him. But you can’t take away the musical genius that is Michael Jackson.

Also check out this uber-cool Brazilian version.

“They Don’t Care About Us”

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody’s gone mad

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you black or white me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of hate
You’re rapin’ me of my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy…
Set me free

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
trepidation, speculation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
black man, black male
Throw your brother in jail

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Some things in life they just don’t wanna see
But if Martin Luther was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, segregation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Kick me, strike me
Don’t you wrong or right me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us